I’m done with Microsoft

The latest Windows update in early June was the final straw. It broke the Recycle Bin, caused BitLocker to activate unexpectedly on some enterprise computers, and left people unable to recover or restore files stored locally or synchronized with OneDrive. Enough is enough.

For years, my primary computer has been a Mac, but I never believed Apple should be the default answer. I always felt it was important to have experience with both the Mac and Windows ecosystems. Variety mattered because, as an IT professional, I needed to understand both worlds.

Today, that thinking has changed.

Most of what I do is web-based. When I look at my own technology stack, I honestly have to ask: what Microsoft products am I actually using? My email isn’t powered by Microsoft. I don’t use Microsoft Office. Beyond Windows itself, there isn’t much left.

Meanwhile, Windows has become a constant source of frustration. I’ve had installation problems, update failures, and other issues that simply shouldn’t exist in a mature operating system. Even one of my Xbox consoles now needs to be rebuilt because I believe the drive has failed after years of service.

This has been a rough year for Microsoft.

I’ve heard reports that roughly 30% of Microsoft’s code is now generated by AI. Some people are quick to blame AI, but I don’t think that’s the real issue. I believe it goes back to Microsoft’s long-standing development philosophy: get 60% of it right now and fix the remaining 40% later.

The problem is that “later” has been accumulating for decades.

That remaining 40% has become an enormous amount of technical debt. As Microsoft has evolved from selling software to becoming a company responsible for people’s data, cloud services, and security, those old decisions have caught up with them.

When security patches are fixing vulnerabilities that have existed for more than two decades, it raises serious questions about how security has been prioritized over the years.

Microsoft has a lot of work to do.

As a customer, they’ve largely lost me.

It’s bad enough when Microsoft’s problems affect Windows itself, but now hardware manufacturers are getting caught in the middle. HP systems have experienced Blue Screen issues after updates. Some Lenovo systems have reportedly frozen after recent updates. Users don’t care whose fault it is — they simply see that their computers no longer work reliably.

And that’s the real issue.

We’ve moved beyond the era where computers were hobbies or toys. They’re now everyday tools. People rely on them for work, communication, banking, healthcare, and education. A computer should be as dependable as a screwdriver — you pick it up, use it, and it simply works.

I don’t believe Windows consistently delivers that experience anymore.

That has also changed how I look at Linux.

For years, I never gave Linux a fair evaluation because I only installed it on old, outdated computers. It was always the operating system that breathed new life into aging hardware. I never experienced it on a modern computer designed around it.

I think that time has passed.

Linux has matured into a legitimate desktop operating system. Seeing companies like Lenovo offer Linux on more of their systems shows that it’s no longer just for enthusiasts or developers.

The biggest advantage Linux offers isn’t flashy features.

It’s stability.

The same is true of Apple. Stability is what users want. Even Google’s platforms succeed because they’re dependable.

In 2026, “60/40” simply isn’t good enough anymore.

Microsoft, if you’re thinking about Windows 12, stop focusing on adding more features. The next version of Windows doesn’t need more AI, more menus, or more capabilities.

It needs stability.

Start over where necessary. Eliminate decades of legacy bugs. Clean up the foundation. Yes, some very old software may no longer work, but software eventually has to evolve. No company understands that better than Microsoft.

You can’t continue trying to be everything to everyone while carrying every decision you’ve made over the last 30 years.

Sometimes the strongest move isn’t adding something new.

It’s finally fixing what already exists.

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Deryck Burnett is the owner of Megabite Services in Fernandina Beach, where his team has been helping Nassau County residents and businesses with technology for nearly two decades. For questions or comments, visit Megabite.